Navigating Environmental Challenges In Aviation Law: Legal Frameworks For Waste Management And Ecological Sustainability
- IJLLR Journal
- Jun 22
- 2 min read
Ms. Vanshika Chourasia, Ph.D Scholar, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.
Ms. Pragati Gupta, Ph.D Scholar, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
ABSTRACT
The tremendous progress of the aviation sector, as one of the major international economic contributors, has placed enormous environmental questions on our heads. In this article, an attempt has been made to analyze critically how the meting out of laws in waste management and ecology sustain justice to an ecologically sound aviation industry, with special reference to Indian enactments. There are many wastes generated from various activities in the aviation sector, such as hazardous maintenance wastes, inflight refuse, and pollutants generated by airports; waste management within the aviation industry warrants strong legislative measures for all forms of waste. The industry mainly contributes to GHG emissions and noise pollution. Therefore, environmental protection vocations cannot wait. At the global level, the regulatory framework related to environmental standards consists of the Chicago Convention's Annex 16, the Basel Convention, and ICAO's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). At the domestic level, India imposes a slew of environmental laws like the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and sectoral codes under the Aircraft Act, 1934. However, the enforcement remains tainted by fragmentation arising from institutional overlap, infrastructural limitations, and lack of high-end technical integration. Several case studies, including solar-powered operations at Cochin International Airport, demonstrate best practices in greening. It highlights loopholes in enforcement, the absence of environmental jurisprudence regarding aviation, and the pressing requirement for regulatory coherence. Some policy suggestions include strengthening the DGCA's environmental oversight, providing incentives for sustainable aviation fuels, encouraging public- private partnerships, and harmonizing domestic standards with international environmental regulations. This study emphasizes the urgent need for an integrated legal approach toward sustainability in the aviation sector. It must include dynamic legal reform, investment in emergent green technologies, and international cooperation for dealing with environmental risks. Meanwhile, as India gradually emerges as an aviation hub, it is imperative to adopt a complete ecological scheme for sustainability of environmental and economic development in the sector.
